Education sector faces continued Vice Society ransomware attacks

CBS News reports that the Vice Society ransomware gang has compromised over 40 educational institutions with double-extortion attacks since its emergence in the summer of 2021. U.S. educational organizations, especially those in California, have been most targeted by Vice Society, followed by entities in the U.K., Spain, France, Brazil, and Italy, according to a Palo Alto Networks report. Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the U.S., had 500 GB of data stolen by the ransomware operation during a Labor Day breach. The report also showed that Vice Society attacks against the education sector have been spiking during the spring and fall. "Vice Society and its consistent targeting of the education industry vertical, particularly around the September time frame, serves as a warning that this group has shaped their campaigns to take advantage of the school year in the U.S. It's likely they'll maintain use of the tactics to impact the cyberthreat landscape moving forward, as long as their activities continue to be lucrative for them," said Palo Alto Networks.